2_San Diego Chargers1

Denver Broncos Gameday HQ

AFC WEST
CHARGERS
2014 STRENGTHS:
• Powerful offense with talent and depth
at quarterback, wide receiver, tight end
and offensive line
Chargers Offense
CHRISTIAN PETERSEN/GETTY IMAGES SPORT
San Diego’s offense is scary-good in 2014 because Chargers
GM Tom Telesco really has strengthened the team’s depth at each
of the skilled positions, bringing in Kellen Clemens to back up
Rivers; Donald Brown and rookie Marion Grice to back up Ryan
Mathews and Danny Woodhead; rookie Tevin Reese to back up
Keenan Allen, Malcom Floyd, Vincent Brown and Eddie Royal.
They already had rising standout Ladarius Green spelling tight
end Antonio Gates at times. But this new infusion of depth gives
Rivers all the ammo one could hope for in going head-to-head
in a division led by Peyton Manning and the Broncos. Look for
new offensive coordinator Frank Reich to go with old O.C. Ken
Whisenhunt’s second-half 2013 plan of making San Diego a runcentric,
ball-control offense. Look for the highly-skilled Green
to double his play (from 30 percent of the snaps to perhaps 60
percent in 2014), while Mathews becomes the main benefactor
in the rushing game (he had a career-best 1255 rushing yards in
2013). Rivers, meanwhile, will keep the defenses honest with
his 10-to-20-yard completions to 10 better-than-average pass
catchers than the aforementioned names listed in this paragraph.
2014 WEAKNESSES:
• Porous defense from the front
seven to secondary
SAN DIEGO
If last year’s Chargers were a 53/47 percent pass/rush
squad (rated second-best offense, second-best passing
squad and 12th-best rushing by Football Outsiders),
look for the numbers to become more run-oriented
with improvements trending in that area for this
team. After all, the 2013 offensive line was rated
third in run blocking and eighth in pass protection by
Football Outsiders, and the 2014 squadron looks to be
even better with all five linemen returning.
Offensive Player to Watch
Rivers won the 2013 AP Comeback Player of
the Year award, which is a trophy that should be
shared with head coach and Tim Tebow whisperer
Mike McCoy, the Broncos offensive coordinator
who teamed with Tebow for that miraculous 2011 in
Denver. Well, in 2013, Chargers rookie head coach
McCoy helped Rivers re-invent himself as an in-route,
out-route master QB. According to Pro Football Focus,
Rivers led the NFL with a +15.1 grade on passes in the 11-20
yard range. He wasn’t particularly good on a 1-10 yarders, nor
longballs, but he somehow was unbeatable on the in-between
passes, getting rid of the ball best in the 2-to-3 second range,
registering a league-second-best score when pressured, while
also throwing 28 percent of his passes to tight ends. All of this
lent to a resurgence in the Chargers passing game, along with
Rivers’ league-leading 69.5 completion percentage plus a 106
passer rating after two seasons at 89.
Chargers Defense
Football Outsiders rated the Chargers defense as the worst
in football in 2013, rating 31st against the run and 31st against
the pass. These rankings are much more unkind than the oldfashioned,
NFL-issued rankings which called San Diego’s D
23rd-best when judged by yards allowed (29th against the pass,
12th against the run) or simply by points allowed (11th). But we
must go to advanced metrics to show how truly badawful these
Chargers were on every down, giving up poor field position
Philip Rivers